Lviv, Ukraine

I often ask Ukrainians the following question: what is the one thing that I must do while I am in Ukraine? Nearly every person I ask, young or old, replies by telling me that I simply must go to Lviv. They continue by explaining that Lviv is the city of art, coffee, and chocolate. I habitually consume two of those three things, so when my partner in crime and fellow intern, Syndey MacNaughton, announced that her birthday weekend was quickly approaching, we decided that we would go to Lviv and see if it was as amazing as we were imagining. 

It was. 

Lviv is quaint, artistic, and quintessentially Ukrainian. We walked the cobblestoned roads and I felt as if I was in a beautiful, old foreign film. Toothless men played the accordion and winked as we passed, children walked hand in hand with their mothers while eating cotton candy, and couples languidly sipped espresso alongside the cafe lined roads. Sydney and I did nothing but drink lattes, walk, and eat pastries all day. 

We made our way to the train station in the late evening to catch the overnight train back to our little home. We boarded the train after receiving the assistance and direction of some very kind strangers, and found our modestly furnished compartment. The compartment consisted of four tiny leather beds, two on top and two on bottom, and one coffee table. I loved it. We cracked open some waters and a bar of chocolate that I gleefully discovered in my bag, and talked as the train carried us home. Eventually, Sydney fell asleep and I laid on my back in my tiny bed and let the train rock me side to side. I was kept awake by the many coffees I had enjoyed, but I didn't mind a bit. That's what travel is to me. Travel is being rocked from side to side as a train carries you through the Transcarpathian Mountains. Travel is being in the middle of nowhere and feeling strangely content. Travel is reveling in solitude; travel is appreciating the beauty in loneliness. Travel is adjusting, adapting, and learning how to be away from what is familiar. Travel is not always a glamorous, Instagram-worthy moment; it is made up of the seemingly insignificant moments like being on a train at one in the morning.  

I would like to conclude this blogpost with a shout-out to my mother's Junior High girls Bible class. Thank you for reading this, girls! I am honored to have your support. I read each and every one of the notes you gave to me, and I still pull them out from time to time. I was thinking about all of you this evening, and it made me think back to my own experience at your age. I thought of some things that I wish I had heard when I was in Junior High, and I decided I would share them with you...

Always see your own beauty without a mirror and without a compliment. 

Make sure that your backbone is always stronger than your wishbone. 

You're not too young to make plans or to have dreams; I was younger than you when I decided I wanted to travel to Eastern Europe. 

Pay attention to your mom. She'd probably make a great best friend. 

Don't pay attention to boys who aren't nice to you. 

The most attractive girls are the girls who use their hands and minds for the good of others. 

Please email me if you ever want to hang out and get ice cream.